'Are You Not Entertained?' The Reason a 48-Hour Test Deserved Its Status as a Authentic Test Match.

In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG sits a neon pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.

It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.

The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format

The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.

The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.

If the format is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.

A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test

The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.

Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.

A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.

Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.

The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the patience committed during quieter periods.

Adjustment: The Real Challenge

Some factors are accepted more easily than others.

The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.

In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.

There was hope as the attack excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.

Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.

That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.

Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.

"It's not the death of the format at all," said a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."

Small Victories: Looking Ahead

In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.

The players delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.

Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.

Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.

As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the field to commence their own enjoyment.

Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.